Only The Strong Survive
by Damia - Queen of the Gypsi's
Summary: As they say, the good die young. It's a fact of life and something most don't want to admit to. Contains Post Apacolyptic Care, Scooby Apocolypse Fashion, and Reasons for getting Married. WARNING - HP:DH Spoilers!
1. Chapter 1

If I owned anything of any import you'd have heard of me. Since you have no idea who I am, I quite obviously own neither harry potter nor buffy the vampire slayer.

XXX

Dawn had been knocked down a staircase that had then decided to move. Who's brilliant idea was it to make moving stairs, as though that would make things easier in life. Moving stairs. Honestly. The stairs, rather than helping, had split her away from her party. She had shouted at them to keep moving and then fallen back to a more easily defensible position until she could search them out. She'd fought her way around to where they were supposed to be and couldn't find them.

"_Avada Ke-_" The death eater was cut off with a merciless hand gesture as Dawn yanked the air from his lungs and didn't bother replacing it. The man behind the mask suffocated as she continued to search. They were supposed to stay in touch. She was supposed to stay with him and Percy-the-ponce. Dawn had been through too much in her young life. Too many wars, too many battles. She was numb in a way no one, especially someone her age, should ever be. Another flash of red. Not him.

"Ginny!" The young red head turned after incapacitating the person going after her.

"Dawn! Behind you!" She shouted. The brunette turned and moved out of the way of the crushing fist that was aimed for the back of her head. She caught the blow on her shoulder and gave him a right hook followed with a knife across the gut. The man wouldn't bother her again, not if he wanted to keep his bowels where they belonged. Too much more movement and they would fall out of his body completely. Dawn punched and cursed her way across the hall to the petite vixen holding her own against men twice her age.

"Have you seen your brother?" Dawn asked, giving a death eater that had gotten to close an upper cut and using a spell to throw him into a wall with enough force to dent the ancient stone.

"You'll need to be a bit more specific," Ginny growled, hexing a death eater and shielding another student from a curse.

"Fred," Dawn glared at the girl she had come to know and respect. Ginny gave a familiar grin and set the cloak of a death eater on fire before blasting him out a window.

"Sorry to disappoint," Ginny replied. Dawn clamped down on the worry in her heart and stayed by Ginny, the two of them fighting their way to the great hall.

"Mind if I join you?" The wispy Irish tones of Luna inquired as though they weren't fighting for more than their lives. The tiny blonde shot a particularly nasty hex at a clump of death eaters and the three girls rushed in to defend a group of younger students who wanted to be heroes and were quickly losing a battle that no longer seemed glorious or heroic.

"Seen Fred?" Dawn asked Luna as the three worked continuously, knocking out death eaters and defending the fallen child-warriors.

"Not since the beginning," Luna told her. They knocked the last of the group unconscious and Dawn chained them to each other before they all moved on.

"Find an empty classroom and defend each other from there, have others bring in the wounded. If you only have to protect the door than anyone who can still use a wand will still feel useful," Dawn shouted her orders and the three girls were down the hall and around another corner.

"_Crucio,_" Luna was writhing in the air and Ginny was throwing out her own hex. Dawn stalked up to the young man hiding beneath the white mask and wrapped her fingers around his throat. He dropped his wand and Luna shakily stood up. Dawn lifted her knife and knocked the pommel into his temple. He dropped to the ground and the girls continued, Luna supported by her friends. They made it to the great hall and spotted Hermione headed for Bellatrix Lestrange, hexes and curses forming a hypnotic lullaby as the psychotic laughter rose from the womans throat. Luna stood up straight and added her own voice to Hermione's, Ginny taking her lead. Dawn decided that the three had the woman under control and turned her sights to another. With Harry down it was up to them.

Dawn threw her knife into the back of the neck of a death eater that had just killed some poor little girl and threw off her leather coat. Later she would be annoyed that she couldn't find it; after the adrenaline had left her system and she and Fred were cuddled in front of a fire at the Burrow with the rest of his rather large family. For now though, it felt overly cumbersome and restrictive to her and it needed to go, no matter how cute it looked with the matching pants. She'd mourn the loss of superior article of fashion later, along with her blood stained white lace tank top and the boots that she already knew to be ruined with gore.

"Wanna play?" She taunted a large man with an extra zap of electricity from her fist. He turned away from his current victim and focused on her. A leering grin crossed his face and a chuckle escaped his lips.

"Let's go pretty girl," He agreed, though they were both momentarily distracted by Molly Weasley calling Bellatrix Lestrange a bitch. Dawn was further distracted by the evidence that her future mother-in-law could hold her own in a fight. Unfortunately the distraction got her a black eye from a fist three times the size of her own. Dawn stumbled backwards and thanked every god she could think of in their own language that her sister made her train with Slayers; he was big, but Slayers were stronger, and a hell of a lot faster.

Dawn and the man exchanged punches and hexes, cursing and dodging those around them and each other as they saw fit, both of them ignoring the fights that seemed to be taking place around them other than to vaguely note that Harry seemed to have as much trouble dying as her sister did. Dawn dodged under one ham fist, diving in to land a kidney punch and not able to avoid the slap across her cheekbone that knocked her back a step. A curse stole her breath and a punch in his larynx got rid of his. unfortunately Dawn's breath wasn't coming back and the death eater was on the offensive again. She caught a kick with her hip and a punch in her shoulder, tripping over a body as black spots erupted in front of her eyes, forcing her to see an end to her pain. She cried out and landed on her back. The mans face split into an eerie smile as he slammed a foot down onto her abdomen and pointed his wand.

"_Expelliarmus_" two voices screamed together. Hermione reversed the curse and gave Dawn breath as Luna and Ginny watched the man fly backwards.

"You were doing rather well up until that last part," Luna said mildly.

"Yeah, note to self: Breathing is good," Dawn agreed. Ginny held out a hand and Dawn took it, getting shakily to her feet.

"We would have helped earlier, but you and the Death Eater were too close together, we were afraid we'd end up hitting you," Ginny told her, not looking at Harry and Voldemort.

"Distractions aren't good. If you don't watch and he loses you'll hate yourself," Dawn turned her friends shoulders until she was facing the epic battle that ended moments later with Harry victorious. "Now you know to go and give him a victory kiss," Dawn shoved the red head and turned to defend the once-again hero of the wizarding world.

As people beginning rounding up the wounded and the dead professors gave duties to those able bodied people they could see. Dawn was set on Triage, putting glowing balls of energy above those that needed help. She stood in one doorway, tagging people brought to the hall and trying to keep her nervous anxiety from being to noticeable as she tried to keep an eye out for her fiance.

"Quit wailing, you'll be fine," She growled to a woman in pink with a deep laceration across her shoulder. A group of fresh faces appeared in front of her. Dawn raised a hand and a solid wall of air came up between them.

"We're from the hospital, interns here to help," One of them said nervously, eying the carnage and turning green.

"Then one of you gets to take my place. Triage ladies and gentlemen. Green means they're fine, Yellow means they'll be fine, Red means treat now and black means if they aren't dead now they will be soon. Have fun kids," She waved off the wall and tagged herself green before jogging over to Ginny.

"Dawn," Ginny looked as exhausted as everyone else around them.

"Fred?" Dawn asked.

"No sign of him or Percy," Ginny said with a worried sigh. Dawn nodded and walked over to help where she could in the great hall. Someone had located her sword and brought it back to her. It was still covered in ichor from a troll she had taken down. She looked around for something to clean it off with and gave up quickly.

A commotion from one of the doors brought her eyes to the side of the hall again. Ron and Percy, a sagging body with red hair between them. Dawn knew that shirt as well as she knew the body beneath it. She found herself walking in slow motion as a black marker floated above him by mistake. Not Fred. He was fine.

Dawn turned around quickly, searching for the one face that could make this a joke. The one face that could make this whole travesty into some sort of horrible ill-timed joke. The one face that could make the ceaseless muttering around her disappear. A flash of red, but it wasn't him. It was the one that looked like him. He was across the hall and hadn't seen Fred yet. Good. The could fix the marker before he noticed.

She walked forward, a glorious vision of battles gone. Tall and lithe, she couldn't see the vision she was to those around her. Tall and lithe, her thin body covered in whip-chord muscles and soft curves. Her long hair come undone from it's braid and shifting around her in a dark tangled curtain. The black leather pants hugging her curves and her white lace tank top torn and covered in blood, giving peeks of marred flesh. Purple bruises blossoming across her chin and cheekbone, matching bruises marching from her shoulder down to and across her knuckles where one hand gripped a sword that almost looked to large for her body, it's scabbard discarded as excess weight after she had killed the troll. It was this dangerous beauty that had enthralled Fred Weasley from first glance.

"Dawn," Ron started. Dawn cut him off with a sharp move of her hand. She walked up to them and watched them for a moment. The two young men cautiously walked by her and laid Fred's body down beside the other lost souls of the final battle at Hogwarts.

"Don't put him there, he doesn't belong there. He'll be fine," Dawn told them blankly. There was a cry and Molly Weasley was pushing by and throwing herself across her sons body.

"Fred, Fred!" Molly shouted.

"Stop that, stop her, he's not dead. This isn't funny," Dawn shouted, pointing her sword at Percy as though that would make him show her that the thing Molly was crying over was just a silly doll. Some new creation of the twins. But the tears running down the mans face were a little too real. Dawn shook her head. Fate couldn't be so capricious as to take the man she loved. Not Fred. Not the man that smiled simply because he was alive and only wanted to make people laugh. Not Fred.

"Dawn? Why don't you put down the sword," Ron suggested, tears running down his face. Dawn looked down in surprise. She was still pointing the stupid hunk of steel at Percy. She couldn't seem to make her arm lower though. It was as though she was frozen. Molly wouldn't cry over a doll, would she? She knew better. She knew her boys. Every one of them.

"That can't be Fred," Dawn said, her voice sounded smooth and even, a mockery to the feelings twisting inside of her, strangling her heart.

"What's not Fred?" George had come over. He hadn't stayed away like he was supposed to. She was supposed to fix this before he came over. She watched the twin look at his mother. "No, NO!" Fred shoved his mother aside, not realizing what he was doing and shook his brothers shoulders. The head flopped back and forth in a sick imitation of life.

Dawn's arm fell to her side, the sword slipping from her grip and crying against the marble floor. She couldn't hear anything except her own breathing. It sounded harsh and loud to her, blocking out thought of anything as she watched the man she loved fail to react. He wasn't supposed to go. Not Fred. Not Fred. It would be her new litany. Not Fred. Never Fred. He was good, he was pure and innocent in a way that so many people wished to be. Fred couldn't be gone. It wasn't supposed to happen like that. She was supposed to keep him safe, keep him alive. Him and Percy. How dare he be limp in his brothers arms like that. No reaction except that stupid smile on his face. He was smiling. How could he be dead if he was still smiling. Sound suddenly rushed back at her and Dawn took a step backwards.

"Dawn?" Hermione had her arms around her boyfriend as she looked at her friend with worry. Dawn didn't look at her. She walked forward stiffly, kneeling beside George.

"Fred, this isn't funny, get up," Dawn demanded. George looked over at Dawn hopefully. As though she had the power to bring life back to Fred the way Fred had for her. "Fred Weasley, Get up NOW!" Dawn shouted into the pale face that was so dear to her. Dawn felt shaky and panicked, but she tried hard not to show it. If George believed this was a horrible joke than it had to be. It had to be.

"Stop it," Molly cried to them, She fell down across her son again, tears leaking from her eyes and sobs shaking her body. This strong woman had stood up to Bellatrix Lestrange not that long ago and won. Now she was crying over the body of her son.

"Not Fred," Dawn said softly, "Not Fred,"

"Dawn, dearest, you need to get your wounds looked at," Luna suggested softly. Ginny and Harry were wrapped in each other, both taking as much as giving support. Hermione was with Ron, neither knowing how to react. Dawn stared at the smile on Fred's face.

"Not Fred," She said softly as the world went dark.


	2. Chapter 2

If I owned anything of any import you'd have heard of me. Since you have no idea who I am, I quite obviously own neither harry potter nor buffy the vampire slayer.

XXX

Not Fred. NotFred. NotFredNotFredNotFred ...

Every time she closed her eyes she saw him lying on the ground, limp and smiling as though it were the funnies thing in the world. His eyes blank, not just soulless, but completely empty. As though everything had been sucked out and thrown away so she couldn't ever see it again. Her litany hadn't worked like she had believed it would. Her world was over.

"Dawn?" A soft knock on the door told her that someone else had come to check on the little head-case. Dawn didn't bother moving, just as she hadn't bothered any other time. There was nothing wrong with her method of coping, nothing wrong at all.

"Dawn, you need to get up," Great, there were two voices. Buffy and Hermione. Last time it had been Molly. Dawn vaguely remembered someone telling her that they had called her sister. The paste 4 days were kind of a blur. She hadn't slept, hadn't eaten. She'd had a glass of water when she'd needed to use the bathroom, and then climbed back in their bed.

"She's been like this since she woke up, no one can get her to talk, no one can get her to eat, it's like she doesn't even see us," Hermione told the tiny blonde slayer beside her. Buffy's large eyes, so like Dawn's in all but color, looked pained.

Dawn remembered waking up, a healer dividing her time between herself and George, who someone had decided needed a tranquilizing spell. After diving at Fred's body and demanded someone wake him, they had tranquilized Dawn as well. Dawn and George had been taken to the flat that they had shared with Fred and they were told to pack some clothing so that they could go back to the Burrow with Molly and Arthur.

Once at the flat above the shop (Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes) Dawn had looked around the bedroom she had shared with her soul-mate. Fred was everywhere here. Everywhere in the flat, he had touched everything, laughed everywhere, smiled every morning. Watched Dawn wake up every morning, without fail. Dawn had calmly told Molly that she needed to change. She had changed into a pair of Fred's boxers, and one of his dirty t-shirts. After that she had taken a large picture of Fred off the wall. A picture she had taken of him when they visited the beach on a rare care-free day. He was blowing kisses at her.

Once she had lain down on their bed, curling into a fetal position around the picture, she had refused to move. She still had dried blood matting her hair, giving off a noxious odor. She didn't want to wash though. He had held her. Fred had held her and kissed her and made love to her before they left for the school. At the school she had told him to be safe, and he had laughed. As though it were the funniest thing she could have said. As though the very idea was ludicrous.

"It's hard to lose the ones you love," Buffy said quietly. She looked down at her sister. Dawn was still so young, too young to have lost someone she loved. Buffy blamed herself. Dawn hadn't even told her that she was going into battle. Dawn blamed Giles and Buffy for the deaths of Gunn and Wesley and Spike and Angel. Dawn had left. She was so disgusted with Buffy that she had left. Gone to England, sent news that she was ok, made it clear that none were welcome to be near her, and made a new life. One that included a future husband. She hadn't told anyone. 2 years later, Buffy was only seeing Dawn because Dawn wasn't able to veto the idea.

"She hasn't even cried. She hasn't done anything but clutch that picture," Hermione continued. Buffy nodded understandingly. At least Dawn had told everyone about her family, she still loved them even if she was angry at them. Her friends knew that. Buffy walked to the bed and sat down.

"Careful. She has a natural shield, it's been blocking spells and people. She's very strong willed," Hermione said in a sadly proud tone. Buffy gave a sad grin of her own, understanding exactly what the younger girl meant. The blonde reached over and gently touched the younger girls shoulder.

"Hearts don't stay broken forever," Buffy said softly. Dawn didn't move. "Can you get me something to clean her up a little with? Please?" Buffy asked, turning to Hermione. The brunette turned and did as asked. Buffy didn't move again until Hermione came back with a small basin and a rag.

"Here you go," Hermione set the bowl on the bed and gave the rag to Buffy. The slayer wet the cloth and gently started to wipe away flakes of dried blood from Dawns face and neck.

"You know, I don't doubt that he's in heaven right now. Every time he thinks of you he'll be washed with feelings of love and he'll know you're safe. He wont ever hurt again. Nothing will ever harm him. He'll be happy and waiting for you to join him. Waiting for everyone he loves. No pain, no loss, no grief, no worry. Just endless love. and the knowledge that everyone you hold dear is safe," Buffy said softly, cleaning off the dirt and grime from Dawns forehead. Dawn turned and looked at Buffy, speaking for someone for the first time in days.

"Leave me alone," She said in a low voice, turning away once more. Buffy rinsed the rag and went back to cleaning Dawn's face.

"No," Buffy said with a sigh. "I've left you alone for 2 years, just like you asked. You deserve to have the space you need so I stayed away. Right now, you don't deserve to be alone. People love you and people need you. It hurts, I get that, really I do. It feels like your heart is being sucked out through a twisty straw and spit into a food processor. It sucks, but it's life," Dawn squeezed her eyes shut and curled tighter around Fred's picture. A brief flash of Green Light and Buffy was shoved off the bed and onto the wood floor.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked worriedly, helping Buffy to her feet and spelling the woman's clothing clean.

"I'm fine," Buffy walked into the sitting room, Hermione following behind, and pulled out her phone. "We need the big guns. She's still mad at me. She'll open up to him, the funeral is in two days, yeah, I'll see you both tomorrow then," Buffy turned to Hermione. "I have people coming,"

"She needs to be at the funeral. She'll feel awful if she isn't," Hermione told Buffy. Buffy nodded and glanced over at the other bedroom door.

"That's the other one?" She asked quietly, hearing quiet sobs from behind the door.

"George, yes. His brothers were here, but none of them knew what to say, what to do. His sister was here. She got him to take a shower and eat something, but she's bullying the rest of the family into doing it also. The family is fractured and she's trying to set things so everyone can heal. Her mum is at St. Mungos, the Wizard Hospital. She had a complete breakdown. She'll be released for the funeral though. Molly's strong, she'll pull through this. Once she's up everything will start to get better. You'll see," Hermione sounded desperately hopeful. Buffy could tell that she had been doing a lot of caring without time to grieve as well. The brunette looked worn and torn.

"Willow and Xander will be here tomorrow. I know that doesn't mean a lot to you now, but you'll see soon what all that entails. When it comes to post-apocalypse care we're the best," Buffy pulled the girl in for a hug, and the girl desperately clung to the stranger, needing someone who didn't need her more. Just needing to be held and to cry. The slayer knew this and calmly stroked the girls hair as Hermione's tears fell onto her shoulder.

XXX

Damia - Originally I was gonna do like, 3 or 4 chapters for this, but I think it's gonna get a bit longer than that.


	3. Chapter 3

If I owned anything of any import you'd have heard of me. Since you have no idea who I am, I quite obviously own neither harry potter nor buffy the vampire slayer.

XXX

England really needed to do something about the shortage of good coffee shops. Buffy frowned into the sludge that someone had tried to pass off as a Latte. This was horrifying. She frowned and gave a deep sigh, annoyed that this was the first time she would be seeing Xander in years and it was because both of them were too emotionally laden to pick up the phone and say "I need you." Figured.

None of the scoobies were any good at that sort of thing. They tended to wall themselves off and refuse to believe that anyone could possibly understand that pain that they were going through. Usually they were at least honest enough to themselves not to let the others get away with it. Unfortunately with the end of the Battle for Sunnydale, everyone had lost someone, and everyone ended up walling themselves off from everyone else. The only one who had tried to touch anyone else at all was Dawn. She had fought tooth and nail to make her family realize how much they were hurting each other. The fumbling of emotional zombies was not pretty, but Dawn kept hold, forced them to see, to feel.

They had all run away though; Buffy to Rome, Willow to Argentina, Giles and Andrew to England, Xander to Africa, Faith and Robin to Cleveland, Ohio. So far apart, emotionally and physically. They couldn't quite reach each other on the ethereal level that they all needed. They took jobs that would keep them moving, keep them working and unable to wallow in whatever pit of self-loathing and pity they had found to immerse themselves. Constantly moving further apart, trying not to realize how much they all needed each other.

Then the problems in LA happened. They had all chosen not to help via phone conference. They hadn't even managed to come together for something so important. Dawn had been livid. She had told them all in no uncertain terms what she thought of their piety and their unwillingness to believe in a good that they had no right to question. The New Watchers Council had voted to stay out of LA. Buffy, Faith, Giles, Willow, and Robin against Dawn. 5 to 1, Xander had been unreachable. Not that they had tried very hard to reach him, as Dawn had pointed out. They had voted against helping Angel and Spike because they hadn't wanted to face their personal demons. Yeah, look how that had turned out. They had lost Dawn. She'd left them all, going somewhere that she would be safe, somewhere they wouldn't need to check on her, and making sure they knew she was safe so that she wouldn't have to see any of them.

And she'd joined a war.

Not that Buffy was all that surprised really, that was the sort of person that Dawn was. She joined a war that she didn't need to have anything to do with, and she'd fought viciously on the side of good. Buffy had only been there over night, but everywhere she looked people were talking about the Battle for Hogwarts. Harry Potter had beaten Voldemort, Molly Weasley had beaten Bellatrix Lestrange, those two were the most talked about. More Harry than Molly, but evidently he was famous even without that. Her sister though, her sister won the front page picture of more than 1 newspaper and even more magazines. Her sister, dressed Scooby style for the Apocolypse. No one else would wear leather boots with 3 inch spike heels or a tiny lace top. In fact, no one else in any picture was dressed to impress at all. They were all wearing jeans or robes.

Buffy glanced down at the rag magazine she was holding. It was a wizarding magazine so all the pictures moved. This one was about the loss of a Weasley. The front picture was of Dawn stalking across the Great Hall of Hogwarts, looking dangerous and beautiful, a warrior goddess. A tragic goddess. A smaller picture was of Dawn pointing her sword at one red haired man, while looking at another in disbelief. Every few seconds the picture-Dawn would drop her sword and slowly walk over to kneel beside the dead body of her beloved. Buffy glared at the magazine and shoved it in her over-sized purse, tired of the heartbreaking images that kept replaying.

"Buffy?" Willow was calling and waving her arm. Xander ambled along behind her. Buffy sized them both up as they walked to her. Willow's hair was longer and straight, with razor cut bangs hanging over her eyebrows. She looked tan and beach ready. Kennedy was keeping her in shape. Xander's hair was longer as well, but hadn't been cut or styled at all. He was tossled and windblown. Not just his hair, but his body as well. He was hard and weathered. Life in Africa was not easy on the best of days. Killing demons and staying out of the way of militant governments didn't make it any easier. Especially when towing around beautiful teenage girls who had a power they had been taught from birth could only belong to a man. Xander looked tired.

"I missed you both," Buffy said simply. She gave Willow a Hug, the two of them breathing deeply and realizing how much it had hurt to be away. Buffy then turned to Xander.

"You look like you could use a nap," She told him, reaching up tugging lightly on a lock of hair that dangled just below his shoulder. Xander gave her a weary smile and enfolded the petite blonde into his arms.

"I missed you too Buff," He told her. After a moment he unlooped an arm and raised an eyebrow at Willow. The red head needed no further invitation to join the hug and the three stood there for a little while, bathing in the light of being together. They all backed off at the same time, smiling at each other and missing how easy it had been to strike up conversations when they were younger and freer.

"Did you bring any luggage?" Buffy asked the other two.

"Only carry-on," Xander said, holding up a worn leather bag. Willow held up her newer small tote and they followed Buffy out to the entrance where someone was circling Heathrow for them. An old beat up car whipped in and Buffy held open the back door for her friends, closing it and climbing into the front seat.

"This is Sean," Buffy introduced the young man driving the car, "He's on lone," She passed back the magazine she had been reading earlier. "Basically a picture book of what happened. Dawn's not the only one that's messed up. You guys thought I had it bad with the chosen one thing, wait 'til you hear about this Harry Potter kid," And Buffy proceeded to tell them all about the war against Voldemort.

"On the plus side, he hasn't died as many times as you have," Willow told her said with a wry smile. Buffy giggled.

"I didn't think about that," She admitted.

"Oh come one, Rule Two of Post-Apocolypse Care: Reminisce. You should be encouraging them to tell horrifyingly embarrassing stories by telling your own," Xander reminded her.

"I know. I was helping out with Rule One. We're gonna have to take it slow with these guys. They don't do this as often as we do," Buffy reminded her friends.

"Can I ask a question?" Their driver interrupted. Buffy looked over at him.

"Ask away," She agreed. He nodded and glanced at the two in the backseat quickly.

"How many times did you have to go through this type of thing before you came up with a Post-Apocolypse Care rule list?" The man asked. Buffy shrugged.

"I dunno, a few," Buffy said.

"At least 3," Willow agreed. Xander laughed at the pale cast the mans skin had taken.

"We aren't you're average group. It wasn't so much making the list as realizing what worked best and writing it down. Actually, Dawn wrote it out. It's one of many staples of the New Watchers Council," Xander told the man. Buffy shrugged again.

"Really though, we just had a lot of practice," She told him. The rest of the ride was silent. The three were dropped off in front of a dilapidated little pub called "The Leaky Cauldron." Buffy led them inside and waved at the bar keep, who came around from behind the bar and led them to a tiny back area on the street. Xander and Willow had been warned, but were still suitably impressed by the magical archway leading to Diagon Alley.

"So how bad is she really?" Xander asked quietly as the three walked up the street. Witches and wizards gave the trio wide berth after a first glance. Though the three were lacking the robes, they still gave off the tired and edgy atmosphere of Aurors.

"She wont talk, wont eat, and hasn't cried. Or showered for that matter, the stench isn't pretty. I cleaned most of the dried blood off her face, but I know she doesn't care about that. She's bricked herself up. I think she and George are feeding off each others grief without realizing it," Buffy said quietly.

"George is the twin?" Xander asked. Buffy nodded.

"And how is he doing?" Willow asked. Buffy sighed softly.

"He's locked in his room. He's hurting at least as much as Dawn. You have to realize also that this is a huge extended family. Not only are there 7 kids, 6 now I suppose, there are also the adopted family members, the in-laws and all of their friends, none of whom thought that any of them could die. Fred was the third youngest. He was one of the baby's. The youngest kid, Ginny, is the only girl. All of her brothers seem to be leaning on her for support because they're used to getting it from mom, Molly, who's laid up in the hospital drugged beyond belief cause she had a freak-out. So all of the boys are trying to be strong for each other and Ginny while each of them secretly goes off to cry on Ginny's shoulder without the others knowing. Not only that, but the girl is dating Harry Potter, who needs a lot of loving caring attention himself, though he doesn't know how to give it, though he's trying. On top of that you've got the girlfriends, who are all trying to take care of the men, who don't want the girls to think they're weak, so wont break down in front of them, which is making the girls worry more and none of them need the added stress either. You've got one orphaned toddler, one infant who isn't orphaned but who's uncle just died, one twin who had his ear cut off and his twin killed, one who blames himself for his little brothers death because they were together, one french-woman with a new baby, one savior of the world about to break, his two best friends, who are both trying to hard to pretend to be fine, and countless other people stirred into the mix. The whole thing is fubar," Buffy growled. Xander grinned.

"You said Fubar," He laughed lightly and continued to grin. Buffy smiled. Everything would be all right. They would help make it all right. First things first though. Get George and Dawn over to the Burrow where group healing could be had.

"How do we know who is who?" Willow wanted to know, trying to figure out how to keep them all in order. Buffy smiled, a hint of mischief in her eyes.

"Well, the Weasley's all have red hair," She offered. Willow raised an eyebrow.

"Interesting," Xander said with a smile. Buffy shrugged.

"This is the place," Buffy led the two through the front of the joke shop and up the stairs. Once inside Xander dropped his bag on the floor and stretched. Willow did the same and glanced over as a bedroom door opened and a tall black man with dread locks eyed the three.

"I'm Buffy, Dawn's sister," Buffy held out a hand.

"Lee Jordan, adopted son I suppose. Fred and George are my best mates," Lee said, looking a little lost. Buffy smiled softly.

"These are Willow Rosenberg and Xander Harris, we're here to help," Buffy introduced the other two. Willow stepped forward and steered Lee toward one of the couches.

"How about you stick around for a little while, help us out?" She suggested. He glanced at her for a moment.

"What do you mean?" He asked slowly.

"We want to get George and Dawn over to the Burrow, it would be nice if we didn't have to manhandle him," Buffy shrugged. Lee cracked a grin at that.

"Yeah, I suppose I could help, what do you need me to do?" He asked, looking glad to have something definite for him to help with. Willow smiled again.

"Right now we need to take care of Dawn. How's George doing?" She asked. Lee shrugged and dropped his head down.

"Not so good. It's like he doesn't know how to breathe or something, you know? I mean, he can breathe, but, it seems like he can't. He's just ... lost. Like the world's gone mad on 'im. But then, I s'pose it had to of to take away Fred," Lee whispered the last part. Willow sat beside the young man and nodded.

"It seems like that. It might always seem like that," Willow told him, "What's George doing right now?" Lee gave a shuddery sigh, trying to hide the tears Willow knew to be falling down his face.

"He's sleeping," Lee told her. Willow gently laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Does he have a seat in there? Something comfortable?" She asked. He glanced at her in dull surprise, forgetting the tears tracking down his cheeks for a moment.

"Yeah," He told her. She smiled softly.

"Why don't you go in and keep an eye on him then," She suggested. Lee stayed still for a moment and then nodded, walking back to the room he had only just vacated.

"It's always easier to talk to a stranger," Buffy said with a sad smile.

"Why don't you two make something edible, I'm starved. I'll go talk to Dawn," Xander told them. Buffy flopped onto the sofa.

"I'm all about the nap time," She insisted. Willow smiled and shooed Xander toward the other end of the flat. He grinned and slipped through one of the doors.

"You sleep, I'll make food," Willow told Buffy. Buffy smiled and didn't get up.

"Bathroom," Xander told Willow, coming out the door and walking through the other one. Willow shook her head and went into the kitchen. This was as slow as it was likely to get. She hoped they were up to the task at hand. This many people needed care and nurturing and it was the three of them. Willow smiled fondly at the little blonde slayer on the couch. She was already asleep. Buffy must have been awake all last night doing what she could, where she could. Willows glance went to the door hiding George and Lee. Lee was a good kid. If all of their friends were like that, this wouldn't be a problem. She could get them to helping each other and fix it the good old fashioned circle-of-life wicca way. She shook her hair out of her face and smiled grimly at the inside of the fridge. She hoped she knew what she had gotten herself into.


	4. Chapter 4

If I owned anything of any import you'd have heard of me. Since you have no idea who I am, I quite obviously own neither harry potter nor buffy the vampire slayer.

XXX

Dawn heard the door open and shut her eyes as tightly as she could. She knew that part of her should feel at least a small amount of guilt at knocking Buffy off the bed, but no feeling seemed to be getting past the engulfing pain. She didn't want Buffy. Didn't want the platitudes or the group therapy or any of the crap that Buffy seemed to think made things better. Maybe in a couple days she could handle Willows chocolate chip cookies of emotional stabilizers, but Buffy would probably burn the cookies anyway. The bed behind her sunk a little with the weight of a person, too much weight for her midget of a sister. No one else had dared join her on the bed though. It was sacrosanct, this was Fred's bed, how dare they? How dare anyone? Even her? Dawn pulled into herself, curling into a tiny ball of agony.

Xander sat on the bed and just watched the younger girl for a little while. She was radiating pain, looping it around herself like a mantle. Xander knew how she felt. He too had felt as though the world had taken the only light worth having, the only thing holding the darkness inside at bay. Willow knew too. He had hoped that none of his girls would ever have to go through it again. He doubted that she would go down the same path that Willow had or even the one that he had, but he wouldn't let the same mistakes happen while taking care of her.

"Dawnie?" He asked gently. He didn't touch her. He knew better. She didn't say anything, but she the muscles in her back unclenched just a tiny bit. "I hear the world almost ended," He said companionably, "I'd of joined you if I'd known, but we all seem to be big on the avoidance since the big Sinkhole formerly known as Sunnydale," Though the words were almost a jest, the tone was all to serious and tired to the marrow. The years hadn't been easy on any of them.

Dawn listened to the voice of her first crush. She had once thought that he was the only man worth falling in love with.

"We went through a lot together. Apocalypse and death and another apocalypse and more death. Too many endings, not nearly enough beginnings. I was really hoping that you would make it though. That you would get away and everything would turn out right for you away from the rest of us. I guess I was hoping that the Sunnydale curse had skipped you," Xander paused to take a deep shuddering breath, "I guess I hoped that one of us could be normal," Xander rubbed both hands up and down his face, the emotions in his chest a roiling mess that he didn't have the heart to dissect.

Dawn uncurled and turned over to look at Xander. She knew why Buffy had called him. The One Who Sees. Xander could see through all of them, through their bravado and bullshit. Even with one eye he saw more than anyone else she had ever known.

"It hurts," She tried to be blank, to focus on the pain, but the emptiness in her heart, the black hole that seemed to be sucking her will to live, opened wide. Her breathing came faster, and she couldn't quite catch her breath. It felt like she had been running a marathon. Xander just gazed at her understandingly.

"It's going to. I wish I could tell you it will stop, but I wont lie to you Dawnie, you'll always feel his loss. The ache will ease and the pain wont be quite as sharp, but you'll feel it, and it will hurt," Xander told her. Dawn felt the tear fill her eyes and fall down her cheeks as she continued to try to catch her breath. She didn't fight him as he reached forward to tuck her against his side, pulling her into a sitting position. Sitting helped her breathing a little.

"He wasn't supposed to die," Dawn cried, trying to bury her face in his chest. Xander pulled her close shutting his eyes to stop the memories that haunted him.

"They never are," He told her in a strangled whisper. Dawn clutched at him, not realizing how much she had needed the tactile comfort, or maybe just needing Xander, she wasn't sure and didn't care which was true.

Inside the other bedroom in the house, the person in bed was silent as death and almost as still. Lee had opened his eyes and George had been sleeping so silently he had feared the worst. He hadn't meant to fall asleep, he had meant to keep an eye on George, just like the little red haired Yank had suggested. And he'd fallen asleep. He'd had to check for a pulse and then had been to shaken to even stay sitting. He'd started stalking around the room, picking up and discarding nick knacks with abandon. Unable to escape his thoughts and unwilling to leave to find something to occupy his mind.

Fred and George. They were a pair, a unit. How could you have one and not the other. It was unfair. His two best mates. The two funnest, most devious and enterprising pair of red-heads you could ever hope to meet. They had been inseparable since the train to Hogwarts in their first year when he had been able to impress the two with his knowledge of swear words and the 12 different uses for shoelaces against officious elder brothers. If he couldn't wrap his mind around it, how could George be doing as well as he was. It was like he'd told the small blonde one, the world had gone mad. It was the only explanation. He glanced at his sleeping friend and felt the tears well up again. He'd done more crying since ... well since after the last battle, than he had in all his previous years combined.

Lee rubbed his eyes and went back out to the kitchen, glancing briefly at the tiny blonde woman on the couch that was Buffy Summer, The Slayer. Dawn had told them all stories about her family, admitting how much she loved and missed them, even if she believed that they needed to figure out things for themselves and was angry at them for things that she hadn't shared with anyone except the twins. Because Fred and George told each other everything. Fred had told Lee and George that even if he had to deal with a very angry Dawn on their wedding day, he was going to make sure that all of her family was there. He wanted her to be happy despite herself.

Dawn. She'd intrigued Fred since the first day. She'd always been able to tell Fred and George apart too, as though they didn't look anything alike. She hadn't even noticed the moles that the few who knew about them, used to tell the two apart. At least not right away. She said it was the way Fred quirked his lips and the way Georges eyes smiled. She didn't understand how anyone could get them confused, though she never bothered correcting anyone the two tried to confuse. Before anyone had realized it, the two were a couple, finished while together. Fred called her his morning sun and Dawn had told him that was his hair shining in the mirror. They were more in love than anyone that Lee had ever seen before, including the Parental Weasleys. He and George would bring in dates, but they always seemed pale compared to Dawn, and it was because she was with Fred. He completed her.

And now neither she nor George would ever be complete.

"Are you hungry?" Willow, the Good Witch of the West Coast as long as you kept her happy. At least, that's how Dawn referred to her. He had been too tired to attach a face to the name and description that he was familiar with.

"I could eat," Lee admitted in surprise as his stomach growled at the smell of the food that she had been preparing.

"Fill the plate. You'd been amazed how hungry people get after fasting from emotional pain," Willow said calmly, handing him a plate. Lee did as instructed and Willow gestured to the table where the younger man obligingly sat.

"Thank you," Lee told her after a few bites. It was the first time since the battle that food hadn't fallen to ash in his mouth.

"Finish that, I'll be back," Willow moved to Georges room and entered. Lee paused, waiting for any sounds that said he shouldn't have left George alone, but didn't hear anything.

"He's fine," Another voice said. Lee didn't bother looking at Buffy or wondering how she knew what he was thinking.

"No he's not," Lee denied, pain coloring his voice as he set down the fork in his hand. The woman was pulling out the chair beside him and sitting.

"You're right, he's not," Buffy nodded in acknowledgment, "But he's breathing and he has people to live for, so he will be fine. Eventually,"

"How? How can any of us be?" Lee asked, his voice barely above a whisper. He leaned his elbows on the table and buried his head in his hands. Buffy hugged herself to lock in warmth that she didn't have. How could she answer that? She knew what she should say, but could she say it?

"Because pain fades. Memories grow sainted and laughter becomes bitter. The tears eventually dry and the world continues to revolve. You're friends become your bulwark and being with each other helps you get through the pain. The healing process goes better when the pain is shared, as hard as that sounds," Buffy told him, wondering again, as she did every day, why she didn't follow her own advice. Why all of the Scoobies had to be so damn stubborn and self righteous.

"And you know this from experience?" Lee asked with a touch of sarcasm. Buffy sent a bitter smile to the ceiling while he looked over at her. Dawn had talked about them to her knew family.

"I did a long time ago," She told him. Lee nodded and picked his fork up. His belly felt rather hollow. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Where Did You Go? **

If I owned anything of any import you'd have heard of me. Since you have no idea who I am, I quite obviously own neither harry potter nor buffy the vampire slayer.

XXX

Willow sat down in the chair that Lee had obviously just vacated. She was glad that he had gotten some sleep, but she was sorry that he felt guilty about it. The young man in front of her seemed almost a ghost of the vivacious person in all the photographs around the flat. A ghost ... a part of him was a ghost now. She sighed lightly as she watched him sleep for a few moments longer. His freckles stood out against the white of his skin like some sort of horrid disease. She felt the tears come to her eyes and smiled. It was good to know that she wasn't as frozen as Kennedy had claimed. Good to know that none of them were. She stood up and walked into the bathroom attached to the room, filling a glass with water and snagging a bottle of aspirin off the counter, shaking two into her hand before going back into the room. She tapped his shoulder gently, half ready for any violent movements that he may have. He was too drained though, his eyes opened and she found herself wanting to cry all over again for the pain in his eyes. She held out the glass and the tiny white pills.

"Take these and drink this, it'll help," She told him. He didn't argue. Just sat up, took the glass and the pills, downing both and the blinking up at her.

"Who are you?" He asked after a moment. Willow smiled softly.

"I'm Willow. I would have preferred to meet you under different circumstances, but I understand the backlash of an apocolypse. There's food in the kitchen," She told him, tilting her head to the side a little and staring at him with compassionate eyes.

"He was going to invite you to the wedding you know. All of you. Said he was going to make Dawn happy despite herself," He gave a harsh laugh and shook his head. "He wanted to meet you all so badly. The big bad protectors of the world," He looked down at his folded hands, his shoulders tight with tension. Willow didn't say anything. "Who called you?" He asked.

"Buffy. Hermione called her. Good thing too. The funeral is tomorrow. Tonight is for family." Willow told him softly, turning and routing through a dresser, looking for clean clothes. She pulled out a pair of jeans and a pair of red boxers, tossing them on the bed. He turned and stared at them.

"The family ... it wont be the same without him," He said, dragging his eyes up to her and searching for an answer to a question he was too afraid to ask and she wasn't able to answer.

"No, it wont be," She agreed after a few moments. "Time to get dressed," She tugged an arm until he was standing and pulled his shirt over his head quickly. It cracked a smile onto his face.

"I think I'm good to do that on my own. Did you mention food?" He asked softly. Willow nodded.

"I'll go fix you a plate. Lee's already eating. He looked like he hadn't in a while," She told him. His face contorted into a grimace, his jaw clenching.

"He's been playing keeper. Afraid that if he isn't watching I'll disappear." He stood staring at a spot on the wall and Willow walked over to the door. Her hand was on the handle when his voice made her pause. "I'm jealous. They can look at me and remember Fred ... I'm a piece of him and they can pretend that he isn't really gone as long as they can see me ... but I can't pretend he's there. I don't get to have that illusion," His voice was calm, but she could see the tension in his lithe frame when she looked over her shoulder.

"It probably wont help, but I don't think Dawn has that illusion either," Willow told him softly. He laughed, a slightly strangled sound.

"She wouldn't would she?" He agreed with the hint of a harsh laugh. Willow stayed still for a moment, but he remained silent. She opened the door and walked back to the kitchen area. Lee was picking at his food, taking the tiniest of bites as Buffy watched him carefully. Willow walked back into the kitchen and started filling another plate. Moments later a tall red-headed man came out of the room. George. He was wearing only the boxers and jeans that Willow had pulled out for him, his body whip-chord lean and his stomach like washboard. His hair was scruffy and he'd splashed water on his face, evident because the hair around his face was damp. Buffy studied him carefully. If his brother had the same body it was no wonder Dawn had been drawn to him. Even with the lost look in his eyes George was still adorably good looking with a hint of roughness around the edges. The trademark grin that marked him as a bit of a bad boy wasn't anywhere evident on his face though you could see it in all of the pictures around the house. George turned his attention to one of the pictures, his fingertips trailing over a face almost identical to his own. He gently laid the picture face down and took a seat across from Lee.

"Hey mate. Thanks for staying," He told his friend. Lee nodded once, his eyes darting to Georges face and then to his plate like a starving man staring through a restaurant window. Willow set the plate in front of George and then turned her eye on Lee.

"Stop with the nibbling. I expect you to finish all of that," Willow told him, her hands going to her hips and her eyebrows raising expectantly. It got a slightly hysterical giggle out of George.

"You look exactly like my mum when you do that, Fred would have loved it," He told her, his laughter growing until he was clutching at his stomach, unable to stop. Lee cracked a smile and then started laughing softly as well. Willow smiled indulgently at the two of them and wandered back into the kitchen. Dawn's bedroom door opened and Xander came out, looking a little ragged around the edges.

"How is she?" Buffy demanded, popping up to her feet and bouncing lightly in place, her neck craning to look over Xanders shoulder at the closed door. Water turned on and Xander sighed.

"Not good. I got her to take a shower though. The kid's as bad as I was after Anya," He collapsed onto a chair and Buffy closed her eyes against the pain they could all hear in Xander's voice. The laughter from the boys died and both of them looked lost again. Xander looked between the two and shook his head.

"Food is of the good, shovel it in boys," Willow told them, setting a plate in front of Xander as well.

"I'm Xander, you must be George," Xander said, wrinkling his nose before taking a bite. George and Lee had enough practice with Molly to shovel it in at a reasonable pace, even if they couldn't really taste anything but ash. The group was silent as the boys ate and they waited for Dawn to get out of the shower. They all finished eating and Willow looked at the clock over the stove. The five of them were silent as the water continued to run. Each of them lost in their own thoughts as they tried to ignore how long Dawn had been in the shower,"

"I'll go get her out," Xander said softly with a light sigh. He stood up slowly, wondering when he had gotten so tired of death and so selfish as to avoid anothers pain. Especially one of his girls. George stood up quickly.

"Please, sit. I'll go get her," He told the other man, standing up and hurrying over to the bedroom door. He took a deep breath before opening the door. He closed it softly behind him and took in everything around him. It smelled like his brother and Dawn and blood. He spotted the blood stained pillow and frowned down at it. She hadn't cleaned up after the fight. He picked up the pillow and stripped the dirty pillowcase from it, throwing it viciously at the wall and wishing it had been hard enough to leave a mark. There was a picture of Fred in the middle of the bed. He was blowing kisses at the camera. He remembered seeing it and laughing at the two lovebirds, claiming the picture would give their grandchildren nightmares. Only now there wouldn't be grandchildren. They had deserved them. Deserved to have unholy little terrors just like themselves. He turned toward the bathroom and frowned at the sobs he could barely hear over the running water. He knocked softly on the door and took another deep breath when she didn't answer. He opened the door and felt his heart squeeze at the huddled girl in the corner of the bath, her arms wrapped around her knees and her shoulders heaving. He snagged a fluffy blue towel off a rack on the wall and shut off the water, leaning down and pulling her up, wrapping the towel around her unresisting body and the pulling her in for a hug, ignoring how wet he was getting. He led her into her room and grabbed her robe, wrapping that around her as well before sitting on the bed and pulling her into his lap. He tucked her head under his chin and held her tight, wondering if maybe she missed him more than he himself did. He wasn't sure that was actually possible. But maybe she missed him as much. No one else could really understand how the other piece of your soul could suddenly be missing ... no one but Dawn. He didn't even notice when his own tears started or when he started rocking her like a little child, both trying to give and receive comfort.

"I was going to fix it for you," Dawn said later when both of their tears had run out. Her tone was bleak and he didn't understand what she was saying. She leaned back and looked up at his face. "I didn't want you to see the black mark. I was going to fix it. Make someone help him, save him. I couldn't. I'm sorry," She told him, searching his face. George nodded slightly.

"I believe you. There's no reason to be sorry," He told her. Dawn shook her head.

"There's every reason. I should have been with them. I could have saved him. I was with their team. Him and Percy. I could have saved him," Dawn told him, she looked down and seemed to collapse in on herself, the fight in her soul disappearing as she gave in to the blame she felt.

"No. I blame Voldemort and I blame every deatheater there, but I could never blame you. I even blame Fred a little. He was busy laughing instead of taking care of himself," George told her. Dawn nodded.

"That's part of the reason we loved him though, isn't it?" She asked taking a shaky breath. George nodded, fingering the spot that used to have an ear on his head. His brother had thought that was hilarious after George was feeling better. Had threatened to tie him up if he ever got injured again though. They had all been so very afraid that it would be him they lost ... but it had been Fred.

"Yeah," He agreed. Dawn unwrapped herself from George and stood up.

"I'm gonna get dressed," She told him, turning and looking around blankly at her walls.

"You want me to send someone in here?" He asked. Dawn turned her big blank blue eyes on him for a few moments and he was sorry that she had ever met them, that she had to fall in love and go through the pain that he was going through.

"No thanks," She told him. George nodded and left the room. Dawn took a deep breath. She wanted Fred. She wanted her Mom. She wanted to be loved unconditionally for who and what she was. A warrior, a lover, a daughter, a sister, a friend, a key, a sorceress, and a wife. Only she wasn't really a wife. It hurt her more than she wanted to admit that she wasn't a wife. It had been her dream. To marry the handsome prince and live happily ever after with a bunch of tiny princes and princesses running around driving everyone insane. She'd found her prince and he'd been slain by the evil monster. That wasn't the way it went in the stories. She stared at the picture in the middle of her bed and picked it up, her fingers tracing the face in the picture. As her finger moved Fred's image laughed and stopped blowing kisses, trying instead to kiss her finger. She laughed softly, leaning down and kissing the pictures cheek before setting it down. She walked over to the door and opened it, looking down at her feet.

"Buffy, could you help me?" She asked in a tiny voice.

"No problem," Buffy said, sharing a look with Willow and Xander before going to her sister. She wrapped an arm around the taller girls waist and closed the door behind both of them.

"I don't know what to do," Dawn said, sitting down on the foot of her bed. Buffy left her there and walked over to the dresser, digging around for a well used pair of jeans. She pulled out a pair that looked like Dawn wore them a lot and set them on the bed, grabbing a plain blue tank top a bra and a pair of underwear and adding them to the pile. Dawn dried off and started pulling on the clothing. Buffy looked around for a sweater of some sort and spotted a dark blue sweatshirt with some sports logo on the front and picked it up. It didn't smell like Dawn. She watched her sister pull on the last of her clothes and silently handed her the sweatshirt. Dawn pulled it close, holding it to her face and inhaling deeply before pulling it on. Buffy understood the need for some type of tactile comfort. She walked into the bathroom and snagged a brush, walking back to the bed and sitting behind her sister and brushing out the long hair.

"No one does. It doesn't matter how often it happens. Nothing is ever the same and it never feels 100 percent better." Buffy continued to brush out the long hair and Dawn stayed silent. "The pain will fade. It won't go away but it will fade. You never actually get over it, though you'll try to convince yourself you have. Thinking about him actually helps. So does talking about him," Buffy offered after a few more minutes.

"He used to do this. Sit behind me and brush my hair after I took a shower, before bed. It made me feel better when I was upset," Dawn told her bleakly. Buffy didn't stop the brushing.

"Yeah?" She asked her sister with a soft sad smile. Dawn nodded.

"It was one of the reasons I agreed to marry him," She told her. Buffy was startled into a laugh.

"That sounds like a better reason than I usually hear of," Buffy agreed. Dawn smiled softly. "What were the other reasons?" Buffy asked. Dawn was quiet for a moment and Buffy felt like kicking herself, thinking she'd made a mistake. Then Dawn started to talk.

"Everytime I woke up, he was watching me as though I were the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. It was like he thought I would disappear during the night or something. He loved that I was strong and able to take care of myself, but he also loved that I wanted to be taken care of sometimes. He told me all of his secrets, but when he did he insisted that we sit under the covers and whisper, even if it were the middle of the day and no one else was home. He doesn't like crusts on his bread and insists on cutting his sandwiches into shapes. He believed anything was possible. And he was always smiling. Always laughing. Always finding something about the world amusing." Dawn told her. Buffy stopped brushing her sisters hair and leaned into her, wrapping her arms around the other girl.

"Those are the best reasons for marriage that I have ever heard. Ever," Buffy told her. Dawn nodded.

"I think so too," She agreed bleakly, staring at a spot on the wall as her sister hugged her tightly.

XXX

Sorry it's been awhile. I'll try and do this some more. I'm thinking only about 3 or 4 more chapters.

- D


	6. Chapter 6

**How Long Before We Fall?**

If I owned anything of any import you'd have heard of me. Since you have no idea who I am, I quite obviously own neither harry potter nor buffy the vampire slayer.

XXX

Buffy Willow and Xander couldn't help it. They stood staring at the strange house in a kind of confused wonder. It had to be magic. That was the only possible explanation for the construction miracle standing in front of them. Though even with magic it was amazing that it was standing tall and ... well not exactly straight. Though many claimed that it was all part of the charm when it came to the Burrow. The other three in their sad little group didn't even know how to be amused by this, their laughter was hollow and their smiles wan. Dawn knew she should drag everyone into the house, see Molly and the guys and huddle in a mass of group tears and embarrassing stories ... but she couldn't seem to bring herself to force everyone to move. It was no longer because Fred's death wasn't real ... now it was because she was simply too drained. Her own pain seemed to be dragging her down so much is was hard to even lift her feet to walk ... but add everyone else's. She didn't know when it was that she had become so selfish, but she just couldn't be the first one to go forward to the Burrow. She pulled the hood of Fred's favorite sweatshirt up over her head and wrapped her arms around herself, breathing in his scent and wishing he it was really him surrounding her. A door to the burrow opened and a familiar shape stepped out into the night air, her bushy hair in wild disarray around her body. It had grown out and Hermione hadn't bothered to cut it. Willow seemed to snap out of her daze and grabbed Xander and Buffy, physically pushing them toward the house.

"Will it stay standing?" Buffy asked quietly as she went forward.

"I assure you there are enough spells to make this house stay standing if a nuclear bomb were to fall directly on top of it," Hermione informed them. She stepped to the side and ushered them in, waiting for all 6 of them to pass her before shutting it firmly, as though she were afraid someone would run away if she weren't keeping an eye on them. George wondered idly if she had been watching them stand outside in the dark, no one wanting to join the party. He watched his family, all of them tucked together for tactile comfort, touching each others arms or legs. They had always been like that, they were a hugging family. Molly's influence of course. No one seemed to want to hug him though. They hadn't after the initial breakdown he'd had in the Great Hall. It was like he was broken or infectious or something. His mother sat ensconced in the center of the couch, Bill and Fleur to one side of her, Ginny on the other side. His brothers arrayed near them. Friends of the family were wedged in everywhere they could find a place. They weren't there grieving just for Fred either. Tonks, Remus, Colin Creevey to name a few others.

Introductions were made so that everyone knew who Dawn's family were. Dawn felt another slice of pain rip through her as she wished that it had been her wedding that they had all met. She shoved the thoughts out of her head and tried to focus on everyone else instead. Molly wasn't looking well, actually she looked as though she were still heavily sedated. She was sitting in the living room, but she wasn't actually there. She rocked gently back and forth and stared at nothing. Dawn looked at everyone dispassionately. So morose, so ... why were they all refusing to look at George? She watched their arms tuck into other peoples arms, their hands comfort each other and their eyes not looking at George, but managing to look guilty anyway. Dawn turned and looked at Lee and George herself. They could see it too. What was wrong with these people? Lee took a step closer to George, solidarity in numbers, but they were still guys so they couldn't link arms if it was only the two of them. Men. Dawn could almost feel amused by it. Almost. The room was to silent. The silence was almost like a force trying to drown them all, keep them from speaking or doing anything other than crying quietly.

"I don't know what to say tomorrow," George said, breaking the awful silence. People jumped, as though his voice were a whip cracking over them. "What do you say at those things?" He looked around at everyone. Molly didn't seem to notice anything had changed, no one else would catch his gaze, though it seemed like Percy couldn't because he was still crying. By himself. In a corner behind the others. Dawn hadn't noticed him before.

"You say whatever feels right," Buffy offered. After all, the scoobies had a lot of practice over the years. Dawn could often be called bitter when remembering things about the scoobies, but at the moment she was cold.

"Nothing about this feels right," George said quietly. Buffy walked up to him, staring at him for a few moments as he looked down at her with eyes full of raw pain. She wrapped her arms around his waist and after a moment he collapsed to his knees sobbing, his shoulders heaving. Buffy knelt and pulled him tight against her, his head bowed down against her shoulder. Dawn knew she should go to him as well ... but she couldn't. It was as though walking through the door to the burrow had moved her to a cold analytical place where she could see the details and note the pain but she couldn't really feel it. She knew though, that if she touched anyone, the pain would come roaring back with a vengeance. Yes, she had cried a lot, but she knew her tears weren't dried out yet. She watched Percy sniff back his own tears and come around the group of people to kneel beside his brother. He didn't touch George, just watched him.

"I'm going to say that everyone in the world will miss him, even if they don't know it yet." He said softly. He reached out and took Georges hand in his own.

"I wish I'd met him. Everything I've heard about him sounds amazing," Xander offered a few moments later. The rules of Post-Apocolyptic Care; 1 - Greive, 2 - Reminisce, 3 - Accept, 4 - Go On Living. Simple rules that could be tweaked depending on the circumstances but fit just about every serious fight they'd gone through. They were obviously on step 2 from Xander's careful prodding.

"He'd agree that he was amazing," Dawn said quietly, hoping others would begin to speak as well. The sounds of sobbing were grating on her, making her want to lash out and tell them all to stop it. Her comment brought a sad smile to some peoples faces. Hermione came back into the room, a huge floating tray of tea and empty glasses following her. She had them stop on the table and the walked over to George, sitting down and leaning against his side.

"Then he'd probably strike a pose and try to look suave," Lee added.

"He was like that even as a child," Arthur said, a strained tone to his voice. Through the pain and sorrow there was a hint of pride.

"He was a sneaky little bugger though. Cheeky as all else," Bill told them. They watched as Charlie stood up from the arm of the couch he was sitting on and walked over to his still sobbing brother. He knelt beside Buffy and looked at her for a moment before taking his brother and pulling him in closer, cradling his little brother like he had long ago, when skinned knees meant you were dying and a lost toy was the end of the world.

"It was funny though, he always knew what he wanted right away, never had to think twice about it," Arthur said after a few moments. They all thought of Fred, how he had been as a child and teen. He hadn't really made it into adulthood by most peoples standards, but Dawn and Fred thought they were grown up enough.

"That's why he wanted to marry you. He knew you were his the moment he saw you, he just had to wait for you to realize it as well," Ginny told Dawn sadly. Dawn nodded a little. That sounded like Fred alright. He knew what he liked, what he wanted, what he didn't want.

"I remember the first time we met you," Lee started. Dawns eyes widened a little and a small smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth. "You were at Gringotts, arguing with a Goblin. You were yelling at him because he wasn't upset that you'd killed his brother. You thought he should have been at least a little upset about it, but instead he brushed it off. Another Goblin went over to ask you to be quiet and you flicked your fingers at him and his mouth shut and a red christmas bow appeared on it. Fred turned to me and George and said 'I have found my soulmate'" Lee stopped talking, but he was still smiling. Dawn laughed softly.

"He came over and told me if I put a ribbon on him he'd expect me to unwrap the whole package. Ucknar bid me good day and then Fred asked me to join him for ice cream," Dawn reminisced. Her happiest memories for the past few years all involved Fred.

"He sounds a lot smarter all of a sudden," Buffy commented.

"That's just because he took Dawn for Ice Cream," Xander teased.

"Ice Cream is the way to a womans heart," Willow informed him.

"Very true," Fleur agreed. The other women around the room nodded and made noises of assent as well. Most of the men just looked amused.

"I took Molly for Ice Cream on our first date," Arthur told Dawn. They shared a small smile and Dawn backed up to lean against the wall. She still didn't want anyone to touch her, but listening to stories was nice. George's sobbing and died down. Maybe it was nice for him as well.

"Fred was certifiable. We all knew it, but it was part of his charm. His and George's. They were just cheeky enough to make you stop and think, maybe it's genius. Sometimes it would take awhile. You'd be sitting and suddenly you'd remember something that had happened and you'd realize why they did it. Fred and George always had a reason," Ron told everyone, a bit of wonder in his voice.

"Fred and George were amazing like that," Harry agreed.

"Their first year of school, I thought I'd go insane hearing everything they were getting into and up to," Bill agreed, "They had professors up in arms and other students wondering what they'd do next. Everything was this big game and then intended to win it," Dawn frowned as she realized the direction the conversation was taking. She looked over at George and watched his shoulders tense again through the thin t-shirt he was wearing. Fred and George - because they were a pair, a unit, everything they did was done together ... until Dawn had come along, and then it had been Fred and George and Dawn, or Fred and Dawn. But Fred was the only one gone, and they were speaking past tense about George as well. She didn't even hear the words of the next few stories, all she heard was Fred and George WERE, Fred and George USED TO ...

"They used to sneak up to the head boys room and tamper with the bathroom. They always knew the passwords and they were always making up new charms or potions to screw with my head," Percy said with a laugh. His girlfriend, Penelope Clearwater, was across the room, laughing softly as well.

"Stop it," Dawn barked as Arthur began his own story. Fred and George used to ... Everyone froze and stared at her. She glared around the room before stepping closer to George.

"Stop what?" Ron asked a moment later. Dawn shook her head.

"What the hell are you all doing? Who do you think you are? This is George," She pointed to the young man cradled against his brother. Charlie seemed to know what she was talking about. "George is sitting her, in pain, while you talk about him as though he's gone too. He's here. He's right here where you all can see him. He's not invisible and he's not dead, so don't talk about him like he isn't here." She stopped and took a deep breath, trying to stop her voice from wobbling. She had hoped someone else would protect George tonight, someone who wasn't feeling as fragile as she was.

"We didn't mean to," Arthur started. Dawn tightened her hands into fists and tried to breathe calmly. He sounded so guilt ridden ... but he stayed back, away from his son.

"You didn't mean to ..." She said softly, looking around at them all. Buffy Xander and Willow stayed out of it, this wasn't their fight and they didn't know anyone well enough to take a side without following Dawn's lead. She knew they would back her though. "That's a poor excuse. He's your son, your brother, your friend. He is sitting here in pain, so much pain that he can't think, or speak, or even stand," She was trying desperately not to give in to the tears she could feel welling up in her eyes, the sobs that were rising in her throat. "You're speaking as though he died too ... but he hasn't. He's here and he's hurting, at least as much as you all, probably more. Because Fred was his other half. You all are standing there, comforting each other, taking solace in the knowledge that you are a family and you care for each other. But you wont come near George? You've closed ranks around Molly because she can't think she hurts so much, how do you think George is feeling? That's his partner, his brother, his twin!" She wasn't sure when she'd started yelling, but she suddenly was, "He loved Fred more than any of you can begin to imagine, they have been together there whole lives, they came into existence at the same time, they took care of each other, and now Fred is gone. Fred, not George. FRED is dead. Fred," She frozed, a look of shock on her face. "Oh god, Fred is dead ... he'll never come back," She started sobbing, her arms wrapped around her stomach, bent over at the waist, her hair a curtain.

"I am so sorry George," Ron said quietly as Xander moved to take hold of Dawn. His fingers grazed her arm and she lashed out at him.

"Don't Touch Me!" She shrieked, shrinking away from him and falling on her ass. She scuttled backwards from him, ending up in the center of the room,her arms wrapped around her drawn up knees. "I want him back," Dawn moaned, rocking back and forth. "I want to feel safe and I want to get married with all of our family around us and I want to watch to see who ends up with the trick candies that turn them into storks, and I want to wake up to burnt eggs because he still hasn't figured out how to cook breakfast. And I can't have it." She shoved her forehead into her knees and didn't bother shoving away George as he came over to her, the both of them crying together again. Maybe it was pathetic, but shared pain seemed a little easier than lonely pain, and who else but George could really share her pain? Everyone else had echoes, almost as strong, but not quite, tapering out to the barest twinge. She felt more people gather around her, but didn't bother to look up.

Xander watched as Fleur scooted closer to Molly while everyone else closed ranks around the two sobbing messes in the center of the room. The two that weren't sure if life could go on with Fred Weasley, because he really was their world.


	7. Chapter 7

**You Must Go On  
**

If I owned anything of any import you'd have heard of me. Since you have no idea who I am, I quite obviously own neither harry potter nor buffy the vampire slayer.

I would like to thank JediJeff for being an amazing influence and would also like to say that the songs "The Show Must Go On" By Queen and "Heartbreaker" by Pink were a big help with this chapter.

XXX

Dawn wasn't sure when she had been put to bed, but she and George were cuddled up on Fred's old bed, Willow and Buffy on Georges. They obviously hadn't made it back to the flat. Dawn got out of bed, trying not to wake up George, but she failed. His eyes blinked open, a confused look to him. Dawn held a finger to her lips and gestured to her sister and Willow. George nodded and sat up. Dawn snagged the sweatshirt she'd been wearing the night before and pulled it on over her tank top and sleep shorts. She notices that George was only in a pair of sweats. She figured that Hermione or Ginny had changed them with a spell. The two comrades slipped out of the room and down the stairs to the kitchen. Molly was sitting at the table with a cup of tea in front of her. No one else seemed to be awake.

"Come here my dears," Molly held out her arms to the two. Dawn and George moved forward, embracing her tightly. Molly hugged them and then gripped their chins softly, pulling them down to study their faces. "Enough of my hysterics, my children need me. You two haven't been sleeping enough," She said in a very quiet voice.

"I'm sorry you aren't feeling any better Mrs. Weasley," Dawn told Molly in an equally quiet voice. Molly tilted her head to the side, a sad look in her eyes.

"I told you to call me mum." Molly told her firmly. George tugged his mother to her feet and held her tightly against him while Dawn sat down in a chair beside Molly's, a sad smile crossing her face. It had been a long argument that Molly had won. If Dawn was to marry one of her hellions Molly deserved to be called mum. Only Dawn wasn't marrying Fred now.

"Thanks mum, I needed that," George said, a ghost of his reckless grin flashing across his face for the briefest moment. Molly cupped his face in her hands and looked up at him with loving eyes.

"I'm here whenever you need it, love. Now sit, it's high time you two were fed," Molly informed them, still speaking softly. She had become lucid when she'd woken up this morning, all of the spells and potions having worn off. A quick tour of the house had her deciding that it was high time she took hold of her family. They all fell to pieces without her ... without Fred. She accepted the pain that tore through her at the thought of her 5th son and continued to flick her wand, making breakfast the easy way. Once everything was started she sat down again, a cup of tea appearing in front of Dawn and George. These two had lost so much more than she could bring herself to imagine. She didn't like their red rimmed and black bagged eyes. She wasn't surprised that they were the first two downstairs though, neither of them would want to sleep for a while yet. During her quick inspection of the house she had seen them cuddled together on Fred's old flat mattress, two strange women on George's. They had looked so lost and broken, even in sleep. As though they weren't sure where they were they were supposed to be, or who they were supposed to turn to.

"You two eat up," Molly said briskly as the eggs and bacon finished cooking. Toast joined the two plates her magic had fixed and they were set in front of the two kids in front of her. Both of them knew better than to argue with her and started shoveling in the food at a reasonable pace. Dawn finished first.

"Go start getting everyone up. I expect everyone clean and well dressed for this afternoon," Molly informed her, walking over to the stove as tears burned her eyes. They were going to put one of her babies in the ground ... At the Cemetery for War Heroes. Him and all the rest of the students that fell at the final battle, giving their lives for their fellow children. Because that's what they were, children ...

"Yeah, I can get them up," Dawn said softly, seeing the telltale signs of tears. George stopped eating and just stared at his mothers softly shaking shoulders. Dawn didn't want to see any more. She left the kitchen and started up the stairs. She knocked quietly on one door, waiting for someone to acknowledge life before moving on until she stopped at the last one. Ginny's. She opened the door quietly, peaking in to see the petite redheads arms wrapped around Harry's shoulders, his dark head resting against her throat. She smiled softly at the protective instincts of the girl. She really was her mother. She stepped into the room and touched Harry's shoulder with her hand, jumping back as he sprang into action; wrapping Ginny in his arms and pulling her between him and the wall, facing out to Dawn with a half scared half determined look on his face. Dawn smiled softly and nodded at him.

"You're perfect for her," Dawn told him. Realization came to his eyes and Ginny sighed softly, kissing him on the cheek and reaching over to set her wand on the table by the bed. A wand that the other two hadn't noticed her snatch up. Harry sat up, rubbing his hands over his face before standing up and stretching his arms in the air. Dawn couldn't bring herself to tease her almost-sister-in-law about the pretty body he had when he was wearing only black pajama pants. Ginny stood up wearing a pair of shorts and a huge shirt that looked like it was Charlie's.

"I'll be down in a few minutes to start breakfast, I'm sorry I slept so long," Ginny told her friend, a frown on her face as she searched her dresser drawers.

"No worries, you're mom is up and cooking for an army. She says be clean and pretty for the services," she sent a quick sly glance at Harry "Both of you," She stepped out of the room and missed the surprised smiles on the couples faces. Dawn would be alright eventually.

At the bottom of the stairs she noted that most of the family was still upstairs, though there were sounds of movement in every room. Dawn took her original seat and caught the cup of coffee that hovered in front of her. She sent a greatful smile to Molly and sipped the liquid, quirking an eyebrow at Xander as she did.

"This coffee is amazing. Thick, dark, and probably capable of cleaning a carburetor," He told her, "Especially after sleeping on a couch and getting a crick in your neck," He grinned to show he didn't mind. He also didn't mention that he'd been awake when she and George had walked through the living room, neither one noticing the sometime carpenter. Dawn gave a little smile and nodded. The smile quickly faded when Arthur didn't rise to the comment about muggle gadgetry. Just another reminder that all could not possibly be right in the world. As though she needed other reminders. Dawn took a deep breath and tried to focus her mind, to wipe unfair and selfish thoughts from her head. She wasn't the only one hurting.

"Dawn, as soon as your done with that I thought you and I could head to the flat. Get ready there and then meet everyone at the cemetery," George offered, knowing that she would want a few moments to herself, just as he did. Dawn nodded and gulped down the last of her coffee.

"I'm done," She told him. George nodded and hugged his mother close before disapparating with a loud crack. Dawn hugged Molly as well before turning and staring at Xander for a moment. "I'll meet you there," She said after a bit, not sure what she wanted to tell him. Xander made a shooing gesture and Dawn closed her eyes, feeling the light tickling sensation that meant she was traveling before opening her eyes to find herself in their flat. George was standing in the center of the living room, eyes looking at everything around him.

"Does this mean we're admitting we wont see him again?" George asked quietly after a moment, walking over and righting the picture he'd placed face down earlier. Dawn stepped up beside him and stared at the picture for a moment.

"I don't know," She told him after a moment.

"I'm gonna hop in the shower," George told him. Dawn nodded and started walking around the room. She'd never before thought about what all of them meant to their living space. It was there though. The dagger tossed on the side table was hers, the notepad covered in doodles was Georges, the stray bouncy ball was Fred's. She wasn't sure whether she wanted to laugh or cry at the last. Fred and his toys. He said he was inspired by muggle playthings, something about the imagination that refused to be limited because of a simple lack of magic. Dawn loved introducing him to things. Like the slinky. That had been her favorite. Especially when he was able to use it to create a curse to help the war only to refuse to let anyone have it because it would destroy an innocence in the muggle born students. He had turned it into a new prank for the joke shop instead. That was so Fred. His priorities might not fit with the Aurors, but it fit perfectly with Dawn.

Dawn heard the shower turn off and turned toward her own bedroom. She walked inside and looked around for a moment. She had a dress. It had a long skirt that floated behind her as she walked and a halter neckline with almost no back. Fred had picked it out for her, it was for their honeymoon. For a nice dinner in Jamaica. It was warm enough to wear it now though. She opened her closet slowly, staring at the contents for a moment and carefully pulling it out, laying the light fabric across the bed before she stripped down. She pulled out her red silk underwear, bought on a whim simply because Fred was so fond of the color. She pulled them on and then pulled the dress over her head, letting cascade down her skin like a waterfall, catching the straps and hooking them behind her neck. She looked in the mirror and cocked her head to the side. The dark blue fabric snugged every curve, but wasn't skin tight. The neckline dropped just enough to give a hint but no more. She turned away from the mirror to face her dresser, where her jewelry box sat. She didn't need to look back to know that if the back had gone less than an inch lower her underwear might have been seen. She'd plan to go commando in it for Fred ... but that wasn't going to happen now. She dug through her box but couldn't find the necklace she was looking for, the simple sapphire pendant that had been her mothers.

The brunette turned again, this time toward Fred's bedside table. He tucked her jewelry in their when she wore it to bed and he had to untangle it from her hair. She opened the drawer and dug around. One hand touched a thin chain, the other a velvet box. She withdrew both items, glancing down at the small silver band and the large sapphire on her ring finger. Her engagement ring. She put on the necklace, the teardrop sapphire hanging just below her collarbones. She turned toward the door as George came in, wearing his black suit. He looked good in it. She smiled softly and held up the little jewelers box.

"I'm trying to bring myself to open it," She told him, not sure if she should be fighting back the tears. George sat on the bed beside her and she handed him the box. He opened it and smiled. Inside was the matching ring, the other half of the set. George took it out of the box and pulled her hand to him, slipping the ring on her finger.

"He'd want you to wear it," George told her. Dawn nodded. She stood up with a deep breath and walked in front of the mirror. She could have cheated and used magic, but she felt the need to put her hair up the old fashioned way. She spent ten minutes brushing her long straight hair before looping it up in a ponytail and twisting the locks into a simple bun. She didn't want to put on makeup. She figured it would just get ruined with the crying later anyway.

"I'm ready to go," She told George. He nodded and took a deep breath, his hands in his pockets.

"I know it's rather sudden, but I feel I need to tell you something," He told her, his voice serious. Dawn nodded.

"Alright," She agreed. George stepped forward and put his hands on her shoulders, bracing her.

"You haven't got any shoes on," The two of them stared at each other for a moment before breaking down into laughter. The laughed so hard they couldn't breath, their faces flushing and cheeks hurting.

"It wasn't that funny," Dawn said after a few moments. George chuckled a little and nodded.

"I know," He agreed. Dawn snagged a pair of blue stiletto sandals out of the closet and pulled them on. Fred had loved that she was tall and he liked it when she wore heels. She finished adjusting the straps and stood up, glancing back in the mirror at her big blue eyes and damning herself for not having a tan. She looked wan and pathetic. She felt wan and pathetic. With a raised eyebrow she adjusted her inner magic to send her to the cemetery. A few moments later George joined her.

"This is cheerful," George said dully as they looked across the field. There were a lot of other services being held at the moment. They should probably be at some of them. Harry and Ginny had gone to a few, as had the rest of the Weasleys. Molly George and Dawn were the only ones that had missed Remus and Tonks' funerals.

"Let's go give them something to talk about" Dawn told her friend, walking slowly toward one of the larger funerals that hadn't yet begun. With so many headlining War Heroes going to this one some of the hangers on and the press as well as the extended family were going to be there. Dawn didn't realize what a figure she made. It was bound to be another front cover; tall brunette in the soft dress, walking against the wind, her dress floating and roaring around her, her face blank of expression, but still with red and black rimmed eyes. The bruising and cuts hadn't been fully healed and purple splotches colored her skin, though she didn't notice. A few wisps of hair escaped confinement to play around her face, drawing notice to her big blue eyes, so filled with pain.

"Is it wrong to want to turn them all into canary's," George asked just before they got into hearing range.

"I think Fred would approve," Dawn told him seriously, her mind racing forward, contemplating the speech she didn't want to make. She took the seat beside Molly and focused on the dark coffin in front of her. She wanted to kiss him goodbye. She knew he was smirking in that thing, in the dark coffin. As though this was all hilarious. For some reason it was all that she could focus on. He was smirking at them all, smiling as though this were the funniest thing ever. He got the last laugh. The jackass.


	8. Chapter 8

Heartbreak

Disclaimor - You already know it if you've bothered to read the other chapters

Note - Sorry this ones a little short, but it only took me a day!! A new record! And it kind of leads into the final chapter. Which will be the next chapter for those that are interested.

XXX

"Part of me is jealous ... I'd have much rather been the one in the ground instead of the one left to try and live," George paused a moment in front of everyone, his brothers casket behind him, and a picture of a playful Fred just to the side. "He was usually the one to drag me into things first, I'd be a little afraid and he'd give me this look ... and I'd know we'd be fine so long as we were together," He paused to look down and smile a little as he listened to people chuckle. He look at his mother and saw the tremulous smile that meant she was trying hard to be strong for them all. "In truth he was a lot braver than I was. I think it would be easier for him to be here without me, than it will be for me to live without him. He was always the first one in front and I was always running to catch up, not wanting to let him get ahead. He talked first, walked first, pranked first ... though that might be the only time I admit it out loud," People chuckled a little more loudly this time. "He was my best friend and I'm glad family was with him when it happened, and I'm not surprised that he went while laughing. He never was good at waiting for the appropriate time to show mirth," He smiled a little as he shook his head, remembering things his brother had done in the past. "I miss him ... I will always miss him ... and I hope that those who knew him, take a moment to remember him every now and then. He was amazing," George stepped down from the little podium to sit beside Dawn, who's hands couldn't stop playing with the rings on her finger. He watched as Lee stepped up next, his dreads drifting a little in the light wind.

"Hey all, I'm Georgie and Fred's mate, Lee Jordan. The less athletic and more mouthy of the group you could say," He introduced, bringing many peoples thoughts to quidditch games long passed. "I suppose I'm most well known for saying things as I see them. Dawn's looking hot, George is looking lovely as well, Mrs. Weasley is ravishing and well, we'd probably all look 10 times better if Fred were around complimenting and teasing too. I honestly believe that the world went mad when Fred got taken from us ... he just ... he made this place amazing. He could see things the way I never could, could just find something amazing in everything," Lee tilted his head down and rubbed his forehead as his eyes started to tear. "He was one of my best mates, you know? You never think this sort of thing can happen to you ... especially not with someone like Fred, someone who practically glowed with good humor and happiness. Especially after our fine Dawn came into the picture," The young man looked up to see Dawn was still focused on the rings. "Dawn, he loved you like he never imagined he would love anyone, and everyone knows what an imagination that boy had. I'm sorry that I wont get to spoil your kids, or encourage them to be sneakier than their parents. It would have been nice," Lee stopped not sure what else to say that would make him lose control, or make Molly and Dawn cry harder, both had tears streaming down their cheeks. Dawn was up next, she was the last of the speakers.

Standing in front of the crowd she was silent for a few minutes, just looking at the faces. "Do you like my dress? Fred picked it out and I hadn't gotten a chance to wear it ... I was waiting for our honeymoon," She paused and tried to find the words as the soft fabric billowed against her legs and out behind her, the ankle length skirt giving her a dramatic backdrop. "He's the current love of my life, whether he's here or not ... I ... I don't know what to do now that he's not going to be there burning my toast or making fun of my coffee habit as I try to explain that Starbucks isn't a joking matter. My plan had been to spend the rest of my life with him ... and instead he got to spend the rest of his life with me." Dawn looked out at everyone, with their sympathetic faces. Her family, who hadn't met him, seemed just as crushed as those that knew him well. She understood that they were feeling for her, but it made her angry for some reason.

"This might confuse some of you, but right now I'm a little pissed off at him. You know he's laying in that casket smiling. Smiling! He died with a smile on his face, as though this entire war was a joke ... which on some levels it kind of was. Which is beside the point. Or maybe it is my point. War is retarded. People dying for a cause they don't always understand, a cause their parents embodied and they just happened to inherit. A war started by some megalomaniacs need for power simply because he didn't have a happy childhood. No offense Harry, but I really wish you hadn't killed Voldemort, because right now I want to lash out and it would be really nice to just sit and torture the sad little riddle man for a few years straight, take a page out of Anya's book." She took a deep breath, pausing her rant to look around again. Xander looked amused, as did her sister. Willow looked worried, George was staring at her with his eyebrows raised.

"I'm a fighter, Fred was the lover in the relationship ... I was supposed to be with him, protecting him and his brother ... and I failed them both. Now I wont get my pretty wedding, Molly wont get her unholy terror grandchildren, George wont get to mock us about the honeymoon," Dawn stopped, her lips trembling too much as she tried to control her emotions. "And it sucks. I don't want to make the best of it, I want Fred, here ... standing next to me, making me laugh, telling me secrets, laughing at me like this was all some horrifying bad joke." People didn't know what to do as they stared at her, as she started to break down on stage. She held up her left hand.

"Don't freak out or anything, but I found the wedding ring that he said he was hiding. At first I was thinking I would wear it. I feel like a widow, you know? But I changed my mind, I want Fred to keep it. He was supposed to keep it until he put it on my finger himself ... and now it's not going to happen. This way I figure, if he's in heaven, and I go to heaven too ... maybe he can give it to me there," Dawn turned around and shoved the flower arrangements off the wood to lift the lid as people behind her started to move. "Here you go sweety," She tucked the ring under his hand and shook her head at his smiling face. She stared at him for a moment before bringing a hand up and brushing his hair lightly off his forehead. She frowned in confusion as a drop of water splashed down on his face, looking up to see a clear blue and sunshine sky. It took her a few moments to realize that she was crying. She felt soft hands settle on her shoulders. She turned to see Arthur standing behind her, smiling at her to let her know she was doing fine. Dawn stood there for a moment before gently shrugging off the hands and standing back in front of the podium. People, her people, went back to their seats, though Arthur stood just behind her, a supportive pillar of love. She took a deep breath and smiled brightly at everyone, her eyes clear again.

"To get back to my original line of thought. I'm angry. Angry at Fred, myself, this war, this country. Mostly I'm mad at Fred. You see, by dying he broke the only promise he ever made me. He knew I hated promises, that they weren't capable of being kept and all they do is hurt you. On the night he asked me to marry him, we were sitting in the back room of the shop. He was mixing like a mad scientist and I was mocking his efforts to create a soft drink that could make someone have bubbles come out of their ears every time they talked. He looked up at me and said "I promise I will never break your heart," and I was shocked ... and more than a little cynical. I told him that he shouldn't make promises he can't possibly keep. He stood up, pulled me off the table, pulled the ring out of his pocket and then put it on my finger. Then, being Fred, he informed me that he was going to keep it no matter what, which was why I had no choice and would have to marry him." She looked around the area and noticed that she was one of the few with dry eyes. Talking about the happiest day of her life on one of the saddest days made her blank inside.

"Four days ago Fred Weasley broke my heart. I don't know if it's possible to forgive him for that." She stopped for a moment and looked behind her at Arthur, who nodded at her, tears running silently down his cheek. "However, as angry as I am, as bitter as I may become, I love that man more that I could have ever imagined I could love someone, and I realize my imagination isn't as magnificent as Fred's when it comes to happy things, but that's alright," She looked over at Lee and smiled at him. Lee nodded as well.

Moments later Dawn and Arthur were back at their posts on either side of Molly, watching as Fred's wooden tomb was lowered into the ground. The brunette stood up again, walking beside Molly, Arthur and George behind them. She was supposed to throw the first clod down onto the coffin. She took the handful of soft dark loam and looked down into the hole that her lover had been consigned to. She must have stood their for a few moments because Molly called her name.

"Dawn? Dear are you alright?" Molly asked.

"I don't know if I can ever be alright ... but I do know that I can't be the first. I can't be the first to start burying him," She looked down at the woman that was almost her mother. Molly smiled sadly up and held her hand over the hole, dropping the handful on the coffin and stepping back to allow George and Arthur and the rest of the family their turns. Dawn stood tall staring down into the gradually filling abyss, the dress dancing around her, the dirt still in her hands. She couldn't let go.

"Come on Dawn," Buffy encouraged. Dawn turned her head to stare at her sister.

"You haven't had to bury your lovers Buffy, go away," Dawn told her quietly. Buffy stared at the lithe figure for a few moments before walking away, wondering if it was really the right thing to do. Xander and Willow stood with Buffy. They'd been in Dawn's shoes and knew that there really wasn't anything you could do to ease the heartache.

A hand suddenly closed gently around her fist and she looked up into the teary eyes of Charlie Weasley, a fresh burn scar snaking around his neck. He'd hadn't been back to Romania yet, so he must have gotten it at the final battle. She hadn't noticed. She brought her free hand up to his neck and concentrated just a little, allowing it to heal without a mark. She should have become a medi-witch. She'd said so before, but Fred would always laugh and ask her how she felt about the uniforms. She hated them. She also hated sick people. It made sense to stay away from that area of expertise.

"Time to let go fairy-girl," Charlie told her. He had called her that since her first Halloween with Fred and his family, dressing up in sparkles and flowers and leaves, delicate wings arching above her head and below her knees. They'd gone to a muggle dance club where no one noticed the wings were growing from her back ... literally. Charlie hadn't been there but Fred had told him all about it.

"I can't," She told him as she let her fingers unfold as Charlie's did as well. As the clumps were loosed from her fingers she collapsed and Charlie's strong arms were around her, holding her aloft as people suddenly jumped to their feet. Dawn didn't notice anything, having succumbed to the darkness that had been clawing at her heart for the last few days. Since her world had ended.


	9. Chapter 9

Silver Linings

Disclaimor - You already know it if you've bothered to read the other chapters

Note - Sorry this ones a little short, but it only took me a day!! A new record! And it kind of leads into the final chapter. Which will be the next chapter for those that are interested.

XXX

Dawn stared up at the medi-witch in shock. Her family had insisted that she be taken to St. Mungo's for a full check up, especially since she hadn't after the battle. Her bruises were gone, apparently taken care of during the night she'd been out. Her family had crashed at her place with George and Lee, who still didn't want to be away from his best friend yet. She'd woken up on her own, everyone chased out by Medi-witch Hazel, who was apparently older than dirt and fare meaner. And had just given her strange news.

"I realize it's a bit of a shock dear," The white-haired lady told her, an understanding look on her face. Dawn nodded, a protective hand covering her lower abdomen.

"Tell me again?" She asked the imposing looking woman, imposing and scary weren't things that made Dawn react like a normal person. She liked people who were tough and tended to treat them like sweethearts. It was a good defense for the most part.

"You're pregnant," The woman said, a slight smile on her face at the fragile hope on the younger womans face. Dawn's other hand met the first, she felt her lips tremble into a tiny smile as she looked up at the woman.

"Again?" She whispered, biting her lips as tears spilled down her cheeks. Her shoulders shook as she leaned against the headrest. The witch sat beside her on the bed, resting one of her own hands on top of Dawn's.

"You are going to have two beautiful little girls in about 8 and a half months." She told her with a light sigh before pulling the girl up into a hug. Dawn wrapped her arms around the woman and laughed, tears traveling down her cheeks, unsure whether she was more happy or sad.

"Dawn? What's going on?" George asked quietly from the door. He hadn't been able to sleep and decided to come visit his sister. She would always be his sister, whether the wedding had actually occurred or not. Dawn sent him a blinding smile as she and the witch extricated themselves from each others arms. The medi-witch left the two to share in the newfound happiness. Dawn took Georges hands as he came to sit beside her and sat him down on the bed.

"Fred found a way to have the last laugh," Dawn told him with a chuckle, taking his hands and placing them over her abdomen. George looked confused for a moment before realization dawned in his eyes.

"Really?" He asked, a smile breaking onto his face. Dawn nodded with a smile of her own.

"Twins. Girls," She told him, falling back onto her pillows in delight.

"Mum is going to flip her lid," George told her, shaking his head.

"Your mom? Wait until I tell Buffy and the others," Dawn said with a laugh. George got serious again, though the smile didn't disappear.

"You know Fred was planning to have them at the wedding, right?" George asked, his blue eyes staring into her own. Dawn sighed lightly.

"I'm not surprised, he knew me better than I know me," Dawn told him, not minding in the least.

"Yeah, he was good at saving people from themselves," George agreed, laughing again as Dawn smacking him lightly on the leg.

"We never talked about kids. Never talked about names for them," Dawn told George after a few moments.

"Well I for one think you should keep away from matching names. Like Abigail and Gabrielle, it's a horrible think to do to a child," George said with a shrug.

"Not a chance. Is it wrong that I don't want to name them after people that have died? At least not their first names. Their middle names are going to be Joyce and Anya. I think their first names should be all their own though," Dawn told him.

"Like what?" George asked curiously. Dawn shrugged, her smile growing larger.

"I don't have any idea," She told him, breaking into giggles again. George chuckled and ruffled her hair.

"What say we blow this joint? It's 9, Florian's is open, we can have celebratory ice cream," George told her.

"See, this is why you're my best friend," Dawn told him as he pulled a tiny bag out of his pocket. A flick of his wand and the bag was larger and he was handing it to her. With a peek inside Dawn laughed. George had planned on breaking her out of the hated hospital all along. He stood guard at the door, his back to her, as she pulled on well worn jeans and a fitted Weasley Wizarding Wheezes tank top before she found socks and a hoodie to slip on as well. After putting on the sneakers she shoved the dress and sandals that were folded on a table into the bag and shrunk it, shoving the now tiny bag into her own pocket.

"Coast is clear and Mum shouldn't be coming to check on you for another hour at least," George told her with a cheeky grin. Dawn smiled at him, realizing that neither of them had smiled since they had spotted that horrid black dot at the school, floating above the person they loved most. At least they hadn't smiled like this ... as though their world was alright.

"Let's go darling," Dawn said, a cheeky grin of her own crossing her face. She circled an arm around George's waist and disapparated them to Diagon Alley without a sound.

**8 Months Later**

Dawn stood at the foot of Fred Weasley's grave, she had just placed fresh flowers on the newly grown grass, just as others were doing all over the cemetery. She was alone though, unlike everyone else that she could see. One hand rested on her bulging stomach, her long golden brown hair braided in two, each hanging over the front of her shoulders and to the side of her belly. Her simple pale green dress showed off her pregnant figure, a figure she was quite proud of. She hadn't gained away weight except in her stomach and chest and she knew she'd lose that soon enough after the kids were born. She was too active not to, and she knew that children of hers and Fred's would be just as active. She laughed a little and rubbed the side of her belly where she had just been kicked.

"They're little monsters," She told the grave fondly. "They refuse to let me rest, are constantly dancing or fighting or doing something equally active and painful inside my stomach. Still, they make me feel alive. Thank you. Thank you for giving me something to live for," She paused and looked down at her stomach and then at the gravestone. She had used her own magic to change the epitaph. Where it had once read 'Fred James Weasley - The Laughter In The Air. Beloved Husband, Brother, and Son," It now had the word 'Father' tacked between husband and brother. She knew that no one would mind. No one had even commented in the past two months since she had done it.

"Willow, Buffy, Giles, and Xander will be here in two days so they can be here for the birth. Faith has actually been a lot of help. It surprised me when she came to England to be the British Main Slayer, but Molly wanted to travel, get away from the memory of her own dead family. She's a little leery about the scoobies, but she's promised to behave. At least as much as Faith _can _behave." She chuckled again and then groaned in pain just before her water broke.

"And that would mean that I wasn't having false contractions again. Damn, I'll talk to you later sweetheart, our girls decided on an early entrance," Dawn groaned. She put a hand to her lower back and shook her head before heading over to the nearest people she could see.

"Hey, I need some help over here," Dawn called, waddling over to them. She'd been waddling for almost two months now. At least she knew that the flip flops she was wearing were probably all right. Probably because she hadn't been able to see her feet for as long as she'd been waddling.

"Miss?" He asked cautiously.

"Summers, Dawn Summers, and I seem to be about to give birth," She told him with a wince as another contraction ripped through her, she knew they'd been strong.

"At a cemetery?" The man asked in horror. Another person came over to see what the problem was.

"I came to replace the flowers on my husbands grave," She snapped at him.

"Dawn Summers? Fred Weasley's wife, right?" a girl about her own age asked. Dawn nodded and groaned out loud.

"I'm Hannah Abbot, let's get you to St. Mungo's," The curvy little blond offered. Dawn nodded again and let Hannah take over. Once at the hospital the medi-witches and wizards took one look and got to work.

"Call the Weasley's, please! I need George or Ginny or Faith or Molly," Dawn called from behind her. Hannah nodded and disapparated, showing up in the middle of the dining room at the Burrow only to find herself falling flat as everyone pulled out their wands on her. Harry looked jumpy, but Ginny and Molly settled down as soon as they recognized her.

"Hannah Abbot?" Ginny asked, surprised. The spell was removed from the blond, who started speaking at once.

"I was at the cemetery and Dawn is having her baby and you need to be at St. Mungo's," Hannah spit out quickly.

"Did she say anything deary?" Molly asked, calmly and quickly gather her coat and scarf and whipping out her wand to send notes to everyone else in the family.

"She wanted Faith or George or Ginny or you ma'am," Hannah told her. Molly sent out another note and took Hannah's arm before disapparating them to the hospital. In the waiting area they found Harry alone.

"Where is she? What's going on?" George demanded, waving a note in the air.

"They took her to the maternity hall, she'll be fine," Molly told him, "Ginny's gone to her, isn't that right Harry Dear?" She asked, turning to the dumbstruck brunette. He nodded absently as George suddenly collapsed into a chair against the wall. In a short amount of time everyone else in the family joined them to stand around waiting on news, Bill holding his daughter in his arms while Fleur rocked little Teddy Lupin. A figure in black leather and cleavage came flying through the door, two guard running after her.

"Got held up, what's the sitch?" Faith demanded, turning and punching one of the guards in the nose, not bothering to watch him fall to the ground as she turned back to Molly.

"Dawn's in the delivery room with Ginny," Molly said with a sigh, trying not to chuckle at the antics she'd grown used to over the last six months.

"Calmly now," a voice whispered into Faith's ear as large hands began rubbing her shoulders. Charlie gave a look to Percy and the slender man shook his head.

"Got it," The ministry official took hold of the two guards and led them away, no one listening to what was said. Molly looked around at her family with a surge of pride. She hadn't been sure at first if they would survive the loss, but they'd done well. Especially George and Dawn, even if George was nervous as a basket of kittens. Dawn had seemed better as soon as Faith informed the girl that she was staying. Molly hadn't been quite sure about the brunette at first, but had discovered that underneath ... the obvious Faith parts ... was a steadfast, loyal and nervous young woman who had been beaten down far too often in her childhood. And when Charlie had decided he wanted Faith ... well that wasn't something that made her happy, but the two were surprisingly good for each other. Her most easy going child was good at taking care of Faith without making it obvious, and she worshiped him, though she'd deny it if someone called her on it.

"Beautiful wonderful baby girls," Ginny said delightedly as she suddenly slammed through the door. She paused just long enough to say the words before throwing herself at Harry, who caught her and swung her aroun.

"Is Dawn alright though?" Faith asked.

"Ms. Summers is fine, though she's sleeping right now, if you'd like to see her and the babies they'll be in their room in about half an hour," The doctor told them all before heading somewhere else to allow the family to enjoy themselves.

XXX

"They couldn't have waited two days?" Buffy teased her sister as she looked down at the little mirror images cradled against their mother, tufts of dark red graced both their heads, and when their eyes opened there were two pairs of deep blue eyes.

"Be glad you got to wait two days, they looked like wrinkled old monkeys at first," George teased, tweaking one of the babies' feet gently, an adoring look on his face.

"Dawn, you did good here," Xander told her. Dawn nodded with a sniff, tears suddenly coming to her eyes as she smiled and tried to wipe them away.

"What's this?" Willow asked, taking the baby George passed her.

"Oh god, hormones," Dawn chuckled wetly as Buffy sat next to her, putting an arm over her shoulder.

"You can tell us," Giles told Dawn, taking the second baby from George to coo softly.

"It's just, Fred was amazing and the only way they'll know that is from me and the family. Memories," Dawn shrugged as Buffy wiped away tears.

"You will make a wonderful mother and they will always have their fathers with them, even if they can't see them," The blond told her sister, smoothing her hair and gently kissing her on the temple.

"I know," Dawn nodded sadly.

"They wont even need a picture, they can just look at their Favorite Uncle Georgie," George said, sticking his chest out proudly.

"Who said you get to be the favorite uncle?" Xander demanded.

"Gene's my good man," George returned immediately. Xander stared at him for a few moments.

"You can't argue with that," The carpenter finally agreed with a shrug.

"They're angels," Willow said. Everyone started laughing at that comment.

"Not for long," Dawn told her, shaking her head, "Sylvia Joyce Weasley and Grace Anya Weasley are going to be hellions if I have anything to do with it,"


End file.
